Dogs are used by Special Operations Forces for a variety of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance missions. In IED missions, a dog may be sent into a tunnel, building, or human-inaccessible space. To make matters more difficult, the task may be performed in GPS-denied areas. When a canine is sent off on its own, the operator has limited knowledge of the dog's precise path, location, or status (e.g., the dog has pause for significant periods of time). In addition to IED/EOD operations, other SOCOM missions make extensive use of dogs; pursuit of a suspect, rescue missions, guarding activities, and searching for other objects or persons-of-interest. Accurate localization is beneficial in all of these missions.
The United States Military has developed special equipment for their working dogs, including a special camera system that is incorporated into vests worn by combat dogs. The dogs take over a year and $60,000 to train. Dogs can out-smell any human and most mechanical sensing devices while possessing excellent mobility capabilities. A major limiting factor is the canine's lack of communication. Mission efficacy and success will increase by knowing the location of the dog in real-time. When a canine discovers an object of interest (e.g., contraband or wounded personnel), having precise knowledge of the dog's position makes achieving follow-on objectives quicker, thus saving lives. Additionally, the ability to find a wounded/trapped dog will save a valued asset.
Therefore, what is needed is a canine handler operations positioning system that consists of one or more dog-worn sensors, one or more handler's shoe-worn sensors, and algorithms for maintaining localization of units of canines and handlers traveling in GPS and GPS-denied areas.